United States President Barack Obama, right, shakes hands with President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto of Mexico after making remarks to the press in the Oval Office of White House in Washington, DC on Tuesday, November 27, 2012.. (Ron Sachs / Pool via CNP)

Opinion: President Obama has the chance to improve US/Mexico relations

This week, President Obama is off to Mexico and Costa Rica for a three-day trip starting Thursday. A White House statement said that the trip is “is an important opportunity to reinforce the deep cultural, familial and economic ties that so many Americans share with Mexico and Central America.” Obama plans to meet with Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto to discuss economic and trade issues. His last visit to Mexico was in June, for the G-20 summit in Los Cabos.

The U.S. and Mexico are as tightly bound as siblings, and often just as dysfunctional. While both governments are concerned with immigration and drug violence, President Obama must forge a more positive, productive partnership. Mexico is enjoying remarkable economic growth, and Obama neglects our southern neighbor at his own peril.

However, Obama would be wise to recognize that relations with Mexico should not center on these issues alone. As president-elect, Peña Nieto wrote in The Washington Post that, “It is a mistake to limit our bilateral relationship to drugs and security concerns. Our mutual interests are too vast and complex to be restricted in this short-sighted way.” He wants a deeper relationship, one that is defined by shared economic goals.

That’s the smart way forward. Since 2008, Mexico has seen steady economic growth, which has been a net benefit to the U.S. The U.S. exports more to Mexico than to China and Japan combined, and U.S./Mexico trade hit almost $500 billion in 2012. Obama should build on these ties to create greater economic integration. If he and Peña Nieto were to collaborate on ways of matching Mexico’s young labor force with American technology and training, it would be a recipe for a regional economic boom. Greater U.S. investment in Mexico will make the country safer, as the cartels generally leave multinational operations alone.

Politically, Obama cannot afford to take Mexico for granted. Consider that Mexico has been fully engaged with Cuba since the revolution in 1959 (which was launched from Mexico). And although the U.S. has not recognized Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro as successor to Hugo Chavez, Mexico recognized his election on April 19. So Mexico is not an ally that automatically falls in lockstep with American interests. Perhaps with more attention from the Obama administration, Peña Nieto could be persuaded to be more supportive of U.S. policies for the region.